Target to Stop Carrying Amazon’s Kindles

Send to Kindle

It came to light today that Target will no longer carry any of Amazon’s Kindles.

You can no longer buy Kindles on Target’s website, and Target has said (via The Verge):

Target continually evaluates its product assortment to deliver the best quality and prices for our guests. Target is phasing out Kindles and Amazon- and Kindle-branded products in the spring of 2012. We will continue to offer our guests a full assortment of ereaders and supporting accessories including the Nook.

A source told The Verge that the switch is due to “a conflict of interest.” What does that mean? What’s the reason behind the move?

Well, it could be that Target’s margins on the Nook are larger than the magins on the Kindle. Or it could be that, as a Mashable article points out, “Target may simply not want to carry a product from a major competitor.” Or maybe Amazon wanted better terms.

And this raises another question: Is this the start of a trend? Will Wal-Mart, Staples, Best Buy, and the other retailers that carry the Kindles follow suit?

Who knows? All I know is that if you wanted to get a Kindle at Target, you probably should go do that now while the brick-and-mortar stores still have them in stock.

———-